AdminKit vs NextDNS and Control D
Control D states a 99.98% malware block rate for its DNS filtering service (controld.com, read 2026-10-26), and NextDNS offers unlimited per-profile DNS-firewall configurations with no signup required to try it (nextdns.io, read 2026-10-26); AdminKit's own Protective DNS is planned, not live, so this page explains the category through NextDNS's and Control D's public positioning rather than a feature-for-feature match AdminKit can't back up yet.
Why device-aware protective DNS matters
A device that resolves DNS through an unfiltered resolver has no layer checking what it’s being asked to look up — which matters because, per NextDNS’s own homepage, read 2026-10-26, a DNS-based firewall can block malware, phishing and cryptojacking domains, plus ads and trackers, before a device ever connects to them. Control D’s homepage, read 2026-10-26, frames the same category around a stated 99.98% malware block rate and native filtering apps across Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android, with policies that can differ per device or group. Both companies are citing their own category — protective, DNS-level filtering — as the thing worth having in front of devices (cameras, point-of-sale terminals, smart TVs) that don’t run their own endpoint security.
What AdminKit actually has today, and what’s planned
AdminKit does not have a shipped filtering service to compare feature-for-feature against NextDNS or Control D today. What’s live now is diagnostic: the free DNS resolver test shows which resolver your connection currently uses, and DNS lookup checks any domain’s records — useful for understanding your current setup, not for blocking anything. AdminKit’s Protective DNS product, a hosted resolver that would block known-malicious domains and support per-device profiles, is planned and early access only; it is not live, and this page does not imply otherwise.
The honest difference, by sign-up
One concrete, sourced difference: per NextDNS’s own homepage, “no signup required” to try it, with an account only needed later to save settings. Per Control D’s own homepage, an account is required even for its free trial, though the process is described as fast (“no credit call, no kickoff meeting”). Neither of these facts says anything about block-rate quality — they’re sign-up-friction facts, stated because they’re verifiable from each company’s own page.
Running a UK small business, not a household?
NextDNS and Control D are both usable by a UK small business today, but the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) also runs its own free Protective DNS service for comparison — one your business almost certainly can’t use, since NCSC restricts it to the public sector and schools. See protective DNS for UK small businesses for exactly who NCSC’s service covers, which free and paid commercial options (including NextDNS, Control D, Quad9 and Cloudflare Gateway) a UK SME can actually use, and where AdminKit fits. If you’re checking DNS leaks rather than evaluating an always-on filtering resolver, see best free DNS leak test tools instead.
Trademarks belong to their respective owners; AdminKit is not affiliated.
| Feature | AdminKit | NextDNS | Control D |
|---|---|---|---|
| Check your current DNS resolver / detect hijacking | ✓ | — | — |
| Hosted DNS filtering service (malware/phishing blocking) | Planned — early access | ✓ | ✓ |
| Unlimited per-device/profile configurations | Planned | ✓ | — |
| No sign-up required to try the free tier | — | ✓ | ✗ |
| Home Assistant / OpenWrt package | Planned, not live | — | — |
AdminKit vs NextDNS
Check your current DNS resolver / detect hijacking
Hosted DNS filtering service (malware/phishing blocking)
Unlimited per-device/profile configurations
No sign-up required to try the free tier
Home Assistant / OpenWrt package
AdminKit vs Control D
Check your current DNS resolver / detect hijacking
Hosted DNS filtering service (malware/phishing blocking)
Unlimited per-device/profile configurations
No sign-up required to try the free tier
Home Assistant / OpenWrt package
Last checked
Sources: NextDNS — homepage, Control D — homepage
Frequently asked questions
Is AdminKit's Protective DNS live today?
No. It is early access / in development, per the product page. Today AdminKit offers free tools to check your current DNS resolver and look up any domain's records, but no hosted filtering service. This page does not present a feature-by-feature matrix implying otherwise.
What do NextDNS and Control D actually offer today?
Per NextDNS's own homepage, it is a DNS-based firewall offering malware/phishing/cryptojacking protection, ad and tracker blocking, and parental controls, with unlimited per-profile configurations and no sign-up required to try it. Per Control D's own homepage, it offers DNS filtering with native apps across major operating systems, a stated 99.98% malware block rate, and a free trial that still requires creating an account.
Why compare AdminKit to these two specifically?
NextDNS and Control D are both established, consumer- and household-reachable DNS filtering services — the closest existing category to what AdminKit's planned Protective DNS aims to become, which makes their own public positioning the fairest reference point for explaining the category, not a claim that AdminKit matches their feature set today.
Does this page use NextDNS's or Control D's logo or brand assets?
No. Both names are used only to identify and compare publicly available services (nominative use). AdminKit is not affiliated with or endorsed by either company.
Want AdminKit to watch this for you?
Free checks tell you the state today. Protective DNS and monitoring tell you when it changes.